I'm surprised Jurrgens has options, but Bills has a full year more service time so I doubt he could be sent down even if the Dodgers wished for it to happen. Jurrgens only has 4 years and a little change in service time.

I am waiting to see just how our new management deals with players not delivering at the big league level. We have been so patient in this old regime knowing that this player or that player is basically taking up space on a roster for a whole season a lot of the time. Always is a case by case scenario, but getting sent to the minors shouldn't be a death penalty for these prima donnas, it should be a wake up that they better get to figuring it out there is some else doing just that and deserving of a chance in the show! Business is business.

Billingsley - 5.11 years

Jurrgens - 4.047

It's always been fascinating to me to see previously very solid and successful MLB pitchers implode at a young age. The same thing happened with Liriano which was even more surprising. Jurrjens is more of a finesse guy so you can see it as more plausible if he's having issues locating his pitches.

Yes, so a different pitcher on a different team gets sent to the minors. Obviously you were right about Bills!

Bills has to agree to go to the minors (because he has 5 years of service time) or would have to be placed on waivers and give every other team in the league a chance to pick him up. The Braves did not risk Jurrjens getting picked up by other clubs.

It's tough for the finesse pitchers. It's why you see very few that have real longevity. Harang, when he was at the top of the game, was solid for the Reds because he was a power pitcher. Now he's struggling with the velocity down. When guys like Jurrjens can't locate, or the league figures him out, he's in big trouble.

Jurrjens never a hard thrower?

Look at some videos from 2010 and earlier. Jurrjens used to average 92-93mph and would hit up to 96mph at times. his fastball had a lot of movement too. There's a video of him striking out Kemp with a 96mph in 2008 I think.

After the all star break last year Jurrjen's velocity fell drastically. He was averaging around 88mph and topping out at 89-90. He got crushed. His stuff also got a lot worse... His slider doesn't nearly have the same bite as it did. His fastball is now straight as an arrow and has even dipped to 86mph a few times this season. His change up no longer has a fade.

Idk what the deal is. He had knee surgery and everything but he still looks like the same dude that got crushed after the all star break last year.